Playing in the "Mud"

My boys probably love Pinterest as much as I do. Because, let's face it- most of the stuff I have done from Pinterest is for them. One of the newest projects was making mud playdoh. I found the recipe here except I halved the recipe because I didn't have enough cream of tartar. But half of the recipe was plenty. 

Today, we pulled the picnic table to the front yard so there was no mess to clean up afterwards. And it was a good thing too, since there was a small mud-ball fight involved. I pulled out some Valentine's Day gems we used for some preschool work so they could dig for treasures. They both had a blast in their own way! Wyatt really loved digging for the treasures, literally. Grant, on the other hand, was more imaginative and he pretended to be a spy looking for stolen jewels. He didn't play with the playdoh as much as Wyatt, and wound up digging in the actual yard instead. But whatever! They had a blast! They had even more fun when our neighbors joined in on the fun as well!! I love playtime where I get to watch and not have to act out a Batman rescue scene. Not that I don't enjoy that or anything....

Peaceful Moment

Walking into Wyatt's room when he is sleeping is like taboo. Ever since the day this kid was born, he definitely hasn't won any awards for sleeping. In fact, he'd probably come dead last in a Good Sleeping competition!! He is such a light sleeper and is pretty much impossible to get back to sleep! Always has been, probably always will be!

I always check on the boys before I go to bed. I always have, ever since Grant was born. I always knew that once Grant was asleep, he was asleep for the night (well, from the time he was 7 months old). So I'd go in, pat his little head, and whisper "I love you" in his little ear. Then, when Wyatt came along, and we went through months of torturous nights, I didn't dare check on him, in fear of waking a sleeping lion. When Levi came home from deployment, and we were getting back into our routine, he noticed that I always checked on Grant but never checked on Wyatt. I told him I was too scared to. I probably didn't check on him til he was over a year old (which would ironically coincide with the age he FINALLY started sleeping through the night.) But I don't ever touch him and I barely get close to his crib because I'm still scared to wake a sleeping lion. I still pat Grant's head and whisper "I love you" in his ear. Maybe someday, my fear of waking Wyatt will go away. That will probably come with the time that he finally quits crying during the middle of the night. I'm still waiting for that...

But yesterday, after a nice long nap (HOOORAY!) we had to go wake Wyatt up. He was so peaceful in his crib and I just had to grab my camera. Since I never go in Wyatt's room while he's sleeping, I never have any pictures of him sleeping, not since he was a teeny baby. I'm so glad I had to the chance to take the pics. Especially because in two weeks, when we move, he will be moving on up to the big boy bed- bunk beds!!! 

Let's hope I see many more peaceful moments like this when we do make that change!

Wyatt Heavy

I know this blog has been a little heavy with Wyatt posts lately, but he's the only one who ever gives me anything to work with!! And how can I resist taking pictures of that toothy grin, those sparkly blue eyes, those dainty eyelashes, and those rosy cheeks!?!? He really is a good photo subject! I'm kinda partial!! 

Mommy (and Daddy!) Moment

Hopefully this post will come across as funny to whoever reads it, because it sure was funny in real life!

Yesterday, we were heading to Whataburger for lunch. If you've watched any Big 12 basketball, especially in Oklahoma or Texas, you'll see ads for Whataburger. Well, their slogan says, "What a burger!!!!" So Grant, being fond and familiar with that slogan says from the backseat, "What a burger!!!! Whenever I pick boogers, I look at it and say, 'What a booger!'" OMG, Levi and I died laughing!! The delivery of that was spot-on and we couldn't have planned it better. Inappropriate, I know, but funny- most definitely! I might never look at Whataburger the same!!

Our Parade of Homes

Levi and I have been married for 5.5 years now. And we are about to move into our 5th house together. Funny enough though, we lived in Jacksonville for 4 years. Funny how the Navy works! So, come along for our Parade of Homes!

818 W. Thompson,  Enid, OK 

Levi moved there February 2006 and I joined him in May 2006. This was the house we first came home to as a married couple! Levi learned how to fly the T-6 and survived his first flight school. I became a housewife and learned how to cook an actual dinner! I also discovered my love of watching HGTV here.We moved out October 2006.

6253 Long Street, Milton, FL

Levi and I moved here October 2006. Levi learned to fly the TH-57. I learned how to drive a school bus. Neither one was a highlight in our lives! Although we did spend about every weekend at Pensacola Beach, so that counts for something! We moved out July 2007.

8033 Fleur De Lis Dr. Jacksonville, FL

Levi and I bought and signed on this house July 17, 2007. Levi learned how to fly the SH-60B and I learned how to be a mom. We brought both our baby boys home to this house. We survived two deployments and numerous workups. We made life-long friends here. We moved out August 2011.

8534 Collingwood Universal City, TX

We moved here August 2011. Levi re-learned how to fly the T-6 and I learned patience as a housewife whose husband is re-learning to fly the T-6. We will move out, hopefully, in two weeks. Levi has been going through Pilot Instructor Training and as soon as he is finished, we will head to....

11010 Buggy Whip, Waukomis, OK

We are so excited that our parade of homes will end here. Levi will be an instructor for the T-6 and I will continue learning patience as a mom and military wife. Our parade will continue on in a few years, but for now, we will relish in the stability that has been given us!

Bring it on Oklahoma!! We are ready for you!!

Outside Boys

Having spent most of their lives in Florida, you would think my boys would be "outside" boys. But not so much. Really, it was too hot, or too buggy, or too gross to play outside in Florida. Sure, we had our moments, but these boys would really prefer to play indoors. I'm hoping that will all change when we move to Oklahoma to our new house that has a lot of surrounding land!! That would just bring peace to my ears!! They've already played outside more here while living in Texas then we ever did in Florida. It's not hot, not humid, and not buggy, which makes for the perfect outside playdate! We ventured outside before naptime today to get some beautiful fresh air. Plus, I wanted to take some pictures since I haven't really had many good ones of the boys lately! There is just something about outdoor pictures that just look so effortless!!  So here's a glimpse at my indoor boys becoming Outside Boys!

Mommy Moment

How can I not melt when I see my boys actually loving each other?!?

Little Photo

So I must admit, I'm a little jealous of you all iPhone users out there and your Instagram app. I have a Droid phone so I've been trying to find something similar, and I think I found a good one! Pics from a Droid phone are nothing compared to the new iPhones, but using Little Photo has made taking pics on my phone a little more fun!! Here is a little compilation of my little photos.

It's fun to edit them to make them a little more distinct!! 

Let's Go to the Movies!

Today, Grant and I took an adventure to the movie theater...for the first time!! Grant has never been to the theater before! I'm not sure why we've never taken him- probably because there hasn't been any Wonder Pets or Max and Ruby's on the big screen and that's all he's ever been interested in. Until lately, anyway. We saw Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked!! Grant has had a thing for the Chipmunks ever since last spring. My sister had a dead car battery while we were out shopping, so her kiddos and my kiddos hung out in my car til we could get it fixed. During that time, the boys were dancing in the trunk to some song from the original Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Grant often retells this story and when the new Chipmunk movie came out, he seemed really excited about it! So I thought it would be a good first movie experience!! And I was right! We had a great time together. These are just pics from my phone, but they keep the memory!! He sat so still, ate his popcorn and drank his icee, laughed, talked, snuggled with me! It was perfect!!! After a really bad behavior day yesterday, I wasn't sure we would get to enjoy this! But he was an absolute angel all day, which made it that much more enjoyable!! I just love little dates with my little man!!!

Earplugs

Whenever Levi gets home from work, he always loves to the boys to come running to him to say, "Welcome home Dad!"  They might do it a few times a week, otherwise, Dad coming home is no big deal. But he'll always ask them to help him take his boots and flight suit off, which is probably their favorite part! Today, Levi emptied out the pockets of his flight suit so he could wash it. In Levi's flight suit, there is always at least one pair of foam earplugs. Grant used to like to always put them in his ears when he was younger, but Wyatt has never tried them. Today, both boys got a kick out of wearing them!! They totally cracked me up! I put them in Wyatt's ears and he kind of went about his business playing. Grant stared at me like a mugshot when I took the picture on the bottom right, but he smiled for me, and pulled them out of his ears. Wyatt wore them a little bit longer. Oh, the joys of Daddy coming home from work!

This picture made me laugh out loud! Right before Levi came home, Grant and Wyatt were playing doctor and Wyatt was the patient. A few minutes before, Wyatt bonked his head on my desk, so Grant was trying to make him all better by giving him a sticker- on his head! The earplugs, and his "bulldog" face just add to the hilarity!! He is such a character!

And here's Grant at 17 months putting in Daddy's earplugs!

Cool Hair

Last night after Grant's bath, he requested gel for his hair. Pretty much the first time he's ever cared about how his hair looks. Occasionally, he'll splash water on his hair and try to spike it up to have "cool hair" but of course when I've tried to put gel in his hair, he always runs the other direction. So go figure, he wants gel in his hair before he goes to bed!! Then he wanted me to take his picture, which I happily obliged since I can never get this kid in front of the camera anymore!! He's such a cook! In about 30 seconds, he went from being so excited to get his picture taken (see bottom left picture) to being totally done (see top right picture!) Pretty cool good lookin'!

4 Kids and a Jeep

We have been so fortunate to have to some amazing neighbors just two doors down from us!! We get lots of playtime together and both the boys and myself always enjoy their company!! We also have been fortunate that there is a large church (which happens to be the church our neighbors belong to) right behind our houses. So we've taken the kids up there to ride bikes, run around, and most importantly- drive the Jeep that Ethan and Taylor got for Christmas! It was a warm January afternoon yesterday, which was perfect for a drive in the Jeep! All the kids had a blast. 

But I know why kids don't get their drivers license til age 16- because holy cow!!! Grant is a maniac behind the wheel and I'm fearful for everyone's lives, even when he's only going 5 mph!! I guess its never too young to teach the rules of the road?!?

 Ethan and Grant seem to drive well together- both like it fast and crazy! Taylor and Wyatt prefer "turtle slow." Even though we've only lived in Texas for about 5 months, we all became fast friends and we will truly miss them!

Boys Art

Just had to share some art I made for the boys' new room they will be sharing at our new house!! I'm going to print them at 8x10 and put them in an 11x14 matted frame! I just did it in word, and I am super happy with the results!! Can't wait to get to our new house and get their room together!! 

These are just screenshots from word, so the quality isn't the best, but printed off- they look amazing! 

Of course, my inspiration came from this post on Pinterest. Thank you Pinterest, for flooding my brain with too many ideas!!!

Pin It

Just For Fun

Sometimes I have no reason to take out my camera, other than the fact I have no reason to do so!! What good is a really nice camera if you only use it to take pictures of something special?!? So this morning, as the boys were playing, I pulled out the camera to capture their playing. Of course, Wyatt always turns on the charm and Grant always turns on the "duh" face. Not amusing, but still cute!  I love Wyatt's face when he plays. I call it his "bulldog" face because his lower jaw is always sticking out. He concentrates so hard. His favorite playthings are those that require fitting pieces into pieces- ie, puzzles, Hide and Squeek Eggs, shape sorters, peg boards, etc. Grant plays very imaginative. He plays Imaginext about 95% of the time, and lately has been playing Octonauts, thanks to Disney Jr's new show! (Oh, and the picture of Grant with his hands out flat on the floor- he said, "Mom, do I look like the Sphynx?" What a crackup!!!)

They still don't really play together very well at all. In fact, I have to break up more fights than I do actually witness them playing together, but it will come in time (hopefully!). So for now, I have to go back and forth and play games between the two of them. Its tiring, without a doubt! But look at how cute they are?? Makes it all worth it!

Batman Boy

Grant is the proud new owner of a set of Batman Underoos! The other morning, right after he woke up, we took off his pull-up to put on underwear. He immediately remembered his new underoos and just HAD to put them on! They immediately gave him super-powers and he began doing some pretty stealth moves and started growing some bulging biceps! Check out my Batman Boy in action!

Who knew Batman was so cute...and silly!

Bedhead Buddy

Wyatt woke up from his nap with a serious case of bedhead today!

Must be genetic....

Grant at 21 months

Mommy Moment

A few weeks ago, Levi rented Rio from Redbox for the boys. A few days after that, I rented Crazy Stupid Love from Redbox for me and Levi.  Grant barely paid attention to Rio, so I was pretty sure he was oblivious to my movie choice. Well, last week, I told Grant, "Guess what....I love you!" Something I've always said to him for a long time. So anytime I say "Guess What?" he knows what I'm going to say next. He usually follows suit and repeats me. But this time, he said, "Guess what? I crazy stupid love you!!" I about came unglued. It might have been a little inappropriate, but I couldn't help smile! 

I crazy stupid love you too, Grant!

Christmas in Review

Where to begin, where to begin!! We JUST got back from Kansas- I'm talking 3 hours ago!! I've been so anxious to get my pictures up and capture our Christmas!! 

We spent 4.5 days at Levi's parents house and then 4.5 days at my parents house. And we had a blast every moment....well, almost!

After an extremely early early flight from Texas and a looooong drive from Denver, we made it to Levi's parents on December 23rd. The day before, there had been a little bit of snow, so we were all dying to get out there and play. Grant hadn't seen snow in two years and Wyatt had never seen snow. There wasn't a whole lot, but just the right amount to dig in, stomp through, and munch on! We played out in the snow everyday we were there. Levi helped the boys make a great snowman! Grandpa took the boys on a tractor ride to scoop some snow. Wyatt ate most of the snow. Grant made footprints everywhere!! I am so happy that little bit of snow stayed around just for us!

On Christmas Eve, Summer, Cooper, and Piper joined us at the farm! Piper just turned one, so she was quite the busy girl and the boys had fun watching her explore! We opened all our gifts Christmas Eve and all the kids were so excited! Everyone got wonderful gifts and enjoyed each other's company! We relaxed most of Christmas day, and definitely ate our fair share of my mother-in-law's wonderful cooking! The grown ups and kids played lots of games, watched lots of football, and just enjoyed each other's company! Summer and Cooper had to leave on the morning of the 26th and we were definitely sad to see them go! We had a fantastic Christmas and loved spending time with everyone!

Unfortunately, the day before heading my parents house, Grant came down with a stomach bug and it hit him hard, but fast. I kept my fingers crossed (and took double doses of Emergen-C) that it didn't spread. Last Christmas, the stomach flu ran rampant when my parents came to visit and I just prayed and prayed and prayed we were all ok...and thank God, we were! PHEW!!!

So, onto the Isenburg Christmas!! Grant was about to burst out of his car seat pulling into my parents driveway. He COULD NOT WAIT to see his cousins!! After waiting an extra evening to make sure all of Grant's sickness was over, we went over to my sister's house to play and then went to Winsteads for lunch. Because what visit to KC is complete without a visit to Winsteads, rights?!? After a nice rest time, they all came over for dinner and then it was time for presents!! The boys loved every single one of their gifts!! The highlights: Grant- Batcave, Wyatt- Little People and Wonder Pets, Mason- Leapster and Laser Tag, Luke- Leapster and Star Wars ship! They all had a blast playing with each others toys! It's so fun that they are getting to the age that they will just go off and play by themselves so the grown ups can actually visit!! 

The next day, we went to Crown Center and Union Station to check out the Christmas decorations! We ate at Fritz's, rode the train at Union Station, and visited the "ginormous" candy shop, as Grant put it! 

The next day, it was time to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family. My sister had a wonderful spread of food that we munched on all day, while the boys merrily played with all their goodies!! We played well past the boys' bedtimes but everyone had a blast! 

Then New Years Eve came and it was definitely a low-key evening! We ordered pizza, the boys played Star Wars, and the grown ups played Balderdash! It was early to bed because Texas was calling our name the next morning!

We are so excited that 2012 will bring us closer to all of our family so we can start making lots more memories just like these!! You can never have enough, that's for sure!!

Thanks to all of our families for giving us a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!